The production of acrylonitrile by reaction of ammonia, propylene, and oxygen using fluidized bed catalytic reactors is a widely practiced commercial process. Numerous patents have issued on various aspects of this commercial development; see, for example, Idol U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,580, and Sennewald et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,422. Notwithstanding the teachings of Sennewald et al, where propylene, ammonia and oxygen are premixed prior to being fed to the reactor, because the mixture of propylene, ammonia and oxygen suitable for reaction to form acrylonitrile is an explosive mixture, in commercial operations it is conventional to mix the gases in the reactor, and thus reduce the quantity of the explosive mixture.
It is known to mix liquids by means of opposed jets in a closed container--See Rupp U.S. Pat. No. 2,751,425. Some commercial processes for the preparation of acrylonitrile use reactors having opposed jets and internal cyclone separators.